The present invention relates to a disposable razor. More particularly, the invention relates to a disposable safety razor that shatters upon attempted removal from the razor head.
Hand-held articles such as toothbrushes, razors, writing instruments or utensils can be dangerous, when modified, especially in prisons or hospitals. For example, prison inmates may melt plastic toothbrushes into sharp objects for use as knives. Metal blades from shavers or razors may be extracted and attached to an elongated handle for use as a knife or other sharp weapon. Resourceful prison inmates can even modify plastic eating utensils such as knives, forks and spoons to produce weapons. Notably, prison inmates are extremely resourceful and frequently create dangerous weapons from the aforementioned everyday articles. These hand-held weapons can, in turn, be used to attack other inmates or even prison guards.
In particular, shaving razors are generally formed in two parts (1) a head portion made from a rigid plastic or metal body having a conventional razor blade or multiple razor blades mounted therein; and (2) a handle, typically fabricated from a robust, rigid material such as plastic. The shaving razor head and body are usually strong and only structurally fail under forces that far exceed those of everyday use. But, the blade mounted within the head portion is of particular concern because of the presence of an extremely sharp cutting blade. Often the blade can be easily extracted from the head and attached to another article as a weapon. These blades may even be designed to interchange so that the user may easily remove an old worn down blade with a new, sharp blade. Moreover, some head and body designs are frangible. Hence, metal razor blades mounted to a conventional head and handle are easily extractable therefrom. This is particularly dangerous as prison inmates and potentially suicidal hospital patients may easily extract and use the corresponding blade for unintended purposes. Utilizing easily breakable body or head portions with the razor blade assembly may actually increase the number of injuries in correctional facilities or hospitals because the blades may easily be removed.
Materially, most razor blades are formed from composite or alloy metal materials. Razor blades have also been manufactured from other types of materials, including ceramic, glass or other vitreous materials. Thus, a variety of non-metallic blade constructions are available in the prior art. But, manufacturing razors having blades other than metal require a host of fabrication steps. For instance, glass blades are especially difficult to mass produce and assemble. It is difficult to fuse together a plurality of separate glass elements. Glass, once formed, is not easily manipulated. Ideally, glass is fused or formed immediately into the final razor blade assembly, such as being immediately mounted to the head portion of the razor blade assembly. Manufacturing a blade that requires a complex assembly process is accordingly more expensive to mass produce than other, simpler, razor blades. Not surprisingly, simple disposable metallic-based razors dominate current market sales.
Even simple metallic razor blade assemblies require several manufacturing, processing and assembly steps. The overall assembly process may require that individual and partially assembled parts be passed through several workstations before being finally assembled and ready for sale. Razor blade assemblies usually comprise, as described above, at three portions—including a body portion and a head portion with a blade mounted therein. The head portion may include a slot for permanently or interchangeably securing a blade or plurality of blades therein. The handle portion may be molded from or engaged to the head portion by any means known in the art. Some manufacturing techniques known in the art mold a thermoplastic material around opposite side edges of the blades. The elongated and sharpened edges of the blades remain protected during the assembly process. A selectively removable cap may be attached to the head to protect the otherwise exposed blades.
One common manufacturing problem associated with metallic-based razors is consistent blade performance. In particular, specific spatial positioning of metallic razor blades in the head portion of the razor assembly dictates the angles at which the blades contact the skin. This directly affects shave performance. The quality of razor fabrication and subsequent assembly can affect the consistency at which the blades are assembled into the razor head. Notably, shave performance relates to blade response during shaving, which is at least partially based on the placement of the blades in the head. Sometimes users undesirably experience vibrations of the blades during shaving. This is commonly referred to as “chatter”. Chatter detracts from the overall “smoothness” of the shave. Separate fabrication and assembly steps typically contribute to chatter. Mass manufacturing of razor blades has improved over the years through the use of plastic parts and injection molding. Accordingly, manufacturers are able to produce more consistently dimensioned products using these manufacturing techniques. One drawback, however, is that these plastic parts are only used for the head and body portions of the razor assembly and do not significantly improve blade performance.
Another drawback of metallic-based blades is that the razor blade itself tends to bend during shaving. Ideally, the blade remains consistently flat and maintains a straight profile relative to the shaving surface during shaving. Flexible metallic-based blades tend to deviate out from such a fixed geometry of the razor head as the blade tends to bend near its midpoint in response to counter-active forces along the shaving surface. Consequently, matching mating parts of the razor assembly must be carefully aligned during assembly. Adequate care may require labor intensive quality assurance measures, which ultimately increase the cost of manufacturing.
Another drawback of the aforementioned razor blade assemblies includes vibrations among various subcomponents and vibrations of the actual razor blade assembly itself during shaving. Vibrations among subcomponents of the razor blade assembly are commonly referred to as “clam-shelling.” Clam-shelling may occur, for example, between loose fitting sections of the head and body portions of the razor blade assembly. In this instance, the head may vibrate back and forth relative to the body. Another undesirable vibration is associated with the cantilever design of most convention razor blade assemblies. In this case, the user applies a force at one end of the body portion such that the head portion, containing the blades therein, contacts the shaving surface. The blades, as described above, attach to and are supported at opposite edges of the head portion. The blades are generally less supported away from the edges of the head toward the midpoint of the blades thereof. The stiffness of the blades ultimately determines the amount the blades are able to bend. Rapid bending and returning of the blades themselves can cause vibration because the head and corresponding blades do not remain flush with the shaving surface. In this case, the cantilever configuration of the razor blade assembly allows the head and corresponding blades to undesirably hop or vibrate along the shaving surface.
Disposable shaving razors known in the art also include mechanisms for retaining shaving cream in the body portion of the razor. In one prior art device, the shaving cream manually dispenses by telescopic movement of a handle over a central stem of the razor. Accordingly, the shaving cream dispenses through an aperture in the head of the razor. A pressure sensitive adhesive coats the surface around the aperture for sealing the dispensing aperture prior to use of the razor. But, this prior art device must be sealed together in several different layers to contain and hold the shaving cream. Moreover, the telescopic handle and central stem must be rigid and could be used as a weapon by inmates, similar to a toothbrush handle.
Thus, there exists a significant need for a disposable razor that cannot be manipulated into a weapon and includes a blade that breaks with attempted removal therefrom. Such an improved razor blade assembly should include a pliable plastic handle for retaining shaving cream therein and a hard plastic housing for retaining a ceramic blade such that the ceramic blade shatters into useless fragments upon attempted removal from the housing. Moreover, the improved razor blade assembly should be easy to manufacture, require few assembly steps and be cost effective. The present invention fulfills these needs and provides further related advantages.